India are the world's top Test team, have a reputation of being virtually invincible at home and are looking to seal a spot in WTC Final before the big series Down Under. The pressure is on the hosts as Bangladesh look to put up a challenge and continue their recent run of success..
. CHENNAI: "The No. 1 team in the world.
" There's a nice ring to the phrase, especially when it comes as a compliment from opponents Bangladesh, who are considered upstarts and are coming to India on the back of their most significant success in the longer version. But then such a tag has its own set of pitfalls. A single false step can raise a tsunami of criticism and that's what India have to guard against when they take on Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
It's a long road to the World Test Championship Final and with India looking to seal the spot before the Australia series, every match is a must-win. If pedigree is taken into consideration, Bangladesh shouldn't be a massive challenge at home, but let's go back to Dec 2022 for some perspective. On a spin-friendly track in Mirpur, India were very close to a defeat chasing 145 in the second innings of the second Test.
Had it not been for the dropped catch of No. 9 batter R Ashwin , the World No. 1s might well have lost a Test which they eventually won by three wickets.
On that day, the finger-spin trio of Shakib Al Hasan , Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were very close to wreaking havoc on a black-soil track that India u.